Adaptations to intra-thoracic fluid monitoring algorithm

ABSTRACT

Adaptations to an intra-thoracic fluid-status-trend indication and/or alert algorithm are disclosed. Some embodiments monitor fluid levels in heart failure patients and others suffering from pulmonary edema and the like. Some embodiments reset a cumulative fluid index when a short-term intra-thoracic impedance value exceeds a baseline impedance value minus a predetermined positive hysteresis value. Many device, system, and method embodiments hereof serve to reduce the number of false positive alerts while retaining the desired sensitivity.

BACKGROUND

Some embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to enhancing therapy. Impedance monitoring is often used with implantable medical devices and in external monitoring devices to determine physiologic conditions that are of clinical significance or interest. For example, intra-thoracic impedance measurements can give a good indication of the fluid status of patients, with decreases in impedance being indicative of increases in fluid content. Knowledge of a patient's long-term impedance measurements and changes therein are a valuable clinical indicator of a patient's health. Herein “intra-thoracic” means within or across a portion of a heart, lungs and/or the pulmonary bed. For example, a subcutaneous or sub-muscular electrode, a transvenous electrode, a pericardial electrode or the like is used to measure impedance values of a patient.

The accumulation of fluid may be an indication of a failing heart circulation or other medical conditions. There are several physiologic malfunctions or diseases that can cause or affect the accumulation of fluid. In general, fluid accumulation is a failure or over-response of the homeostatic process within the body. The body normally prevents the build up of fluids by maintaining adequate pressures and concentrations of salt and proteins and by actively removing excess fluid. Fluid accumulation can occur, for example, when the body's mechanisms for preventing fluid accumulation are affected by disease, such as heart failure, left-sided myocardial infarction, high blood pressure, altitude sickness, emphysema (all of which affect pressures), cancers that affect the lymphatic system, and diseases that disrupt the protein concentrations. As a result, providing an adequate monitor of the patient's fluid status can provide physicians and patients with a better diagnostic tool to manage disease.

Upon detection of predetermined impedance values indicating abnormal fluid accumulation, the patient can be notified to seek professional care. In this way, a clinician is able to proactively address the patient's fluid accumulation, which may be the result of cardiac decompensation during heart failure. This allows patients to receive professional care (e.g., medications like diuretics and beta blockers in heart failure patients) much sooner, thereby decreasing the likelihood of the fluid accumulation developing into a more serious condition.

Determining the impedance values at which to notify a patient can prove difficult. Generally, patients should be notified every time they are approaching a dangerously high fluid accumulation. However, notifying patients when they face less than dangerous fluid accumulation levels can result in the unnecessary consumption of time and resources. This can pose economic and cost challenges when the need to alert patients is multiplied over a large patient population.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an implantable medical device.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of exemplary electrode configurations in an implantable medical device.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an implantable medical device in which the present invention may usefully be practiced.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary method of measuring impedance.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method by which a system can monitor impedance data.

FIG. 6 is a plot of exemplary impedance measurements taken pursuant to the method of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description of illustrative embodiments should be read with reference to the drawings, in which like elements in different drawings are numbered identically. The drawings depict illustrative embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Rather, the present invention is defined solely by the claims and equivalents thereof.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary implantable medical device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A section of a body 11 is shown with a cut-away area 12 to allow for illustration of an implantable medical device 10. The implantable medical device 10 includes two electrodes 15 a and 15 b on the surface of a shell 14 of device 10. Power is provided to the circuitry internal to the shell 14 by a power supply 18, which drives a stimulation circuit 16, sending electrons through various intra-thoracic pathways in the body between electrodes 15 a and 15 b. The intra-thoracic pathways are illustrated as being primarily in the area surrounded by dotted line 13. An impedance measurement device 17 determines the impedance of the circuit pathway 13.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of exemplary electrode configurations in an implantable medical device. The different configurations can achieve different impedance measurement signal values. For example, the implantable medical device has electrodes (e1), (e2), (eg), and (em). Electrode (e1) or electrode (e2) can be used for developing the test pulses. The value being measured (voltage or impedance of the tissue between these electrode pairs) is taken between one of three electrode pairs: (1) an electrically isolated measuring electrode (em) and the indifferent or ground electrode (eg), (2) electrode (em) and electrode (e1), or (3) electrode (em) and electrode (e2). Further, the measurement could be taken between the two test pulse delivery electrodes (e1) and (eg), or between electrode (e2) and electrode (eg).

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary implantable medical device in which the present invention may usefully be practiced. The implantable medical device includes a hermetically sealed enclosure 111 and three leads: a ventricular lead 105, an atrial/SVC lead 107, and a coronary sinus/coronary vein lead 109. The enclosure 111 contains the electronic circuitry implemented for generating cardiac pacing pulses for delivering cardioversion and defibrillation shocks and for monitoring the patient's heart rhythm. Examples of such circuitry are well known in the art. The ventricular lead 105 carries three electrodes adjacent its distal end: a ring electrode 124, an extendable helix electrode 126 mounted retractably within an insulative electrode head 128, and an elongated coil electrode 120. Similarly, the atrial/SVC lead 107 carries three electrodes adjacent its distal end: a ring electrode 121, an extendible helix electrode 117 mounted retractably within an insulative electrode head 119, and an elongated coil electrode 123. The coronary sinus/coronary vein lead 109 carries an electrode 108 (illustrated in broken outline) that is located within the coronary sinus and great vein of the heart. The coronary sinus/coronary vein lead 109 also carries a ring electrode 125 and a tip electrode 127 adjacent its distal end.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary method of measuring impedance according to an embodiment of the present invention. To generate an intra-thoracic impedance Z_(m) measurement, a pacer timing and control circuit initiates, via control circuitry, delivery of a predetermined voltage pulse V_(o) from an output circuit along an excitation path 280 between electrodes 120 and 130. A resistor R_(o) having a known resistance is incorporated in the output circuit, positioned along the excitation path 280 so that the current I_(o) delivered along the excitation path 280 can be calculated, using Ohm's Law, as I_(o)=V_(o)/R_(o). The voltage V_(m) is measured across the measurement path 282 between a point after resistor R_(o) and electrode 130, and, knowing the current I_(o) delivered to the measurement path 282, impedance Z_(m) is calculated as

Z _(m) =V _(m)/(V _(o) /R _(o)).

According to certain embodiments of the present invention, raw impedance measurements are collected a predetermined number of times per day (e.g., one measurement every 20 minutes) during one or more predetermined periods of the day (e.g., between noon and 5 μm). A daily mean impedance is determined by averaging the raw impedance measurements. An expected, or baseline (BL), impedance is computed by taking a very low pass filtered version of the daily mean impedance. The BL impedance is intended to represent the patient's “dry” impedance when excessive fluid is not present. The value of a BL impedance varies from patient to patient and is generally between approximately 50 ohms and 90 ohms. A short term average (STA) impedance is computed by taking a slightly filtered version of the daily mean impedance. The STA impedance is intended to be a best estimate of the current impedance.

These measurements may, for example, be obtained from pre-programmed vectors chosen for the excitation path and the measurement path, such as the ring (e3) to case (eg) and tip (e2) to case (eg) arrangement of FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 3, the RV coil electrode 120 and housing electrode 130 may, for example, be utilized for both the excitation path and the measurement path. However, it is understood that other arrangements can also be utilized, such as an arrangement in which the excitation path is between electrode 123 and electrode 130 and the measurement path is between electrode 117 and electrode 130. Another operative vector could be an RV coil 120 to the enclosure 111 vector with a left pectoral implant. Another could be a vector from an SVC coil 123 to an RV coil 120. However, most any vector for impedance monitoring could be used. It is further contemplated that the leads can be epicardial leads and/or subcutaneous leads. Enclosure 111 can be implanted in a sub-muscular or subcutaneous location anywhere about the chest. In some embodiments, the enclosure 111 is located in a region other than the pectoral region.

Once an initial stabilization time period has expired after implantation (e.g., 45 days), initial values of the BL impedance and the STA impedance are established. Observing a stabilization period avoids inaccurate (e.g., artificially low) impedance readings caused by fluid buildup in the thoracic cavity stemming from the recovery from implantation of device. Once the BL impedance and the STA impedance are established, changes in the daily mean impedance values over time are monitored for indications of fluid accumulation. Monitoring impedance data is discussed in the following paragraphs and in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0172080 to Stadler et al., titled “Method and Apparatus for Detecting Change in Intrathoracic Electrical Impedance,” which is incorporated by reference herein in relevant part.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart that shows an exemplary method by which a system can monitor impedance data according to the present invention. The system first establishes the initial values of the BL impedance and the STA impedance (505), as set forth above. Then the system receives a daily mean impedance (510) and updates the STA impedance and the BL impedance (515), (520) based on that daily mean impedance. In some embodiments, the STA impedance is updated (515) by taking a weighted sum of (a) the STA impedance for the two previous days and (b) the daily mean impedance for the current day and the two previous days. In such embodiments, the STA impedance can be relatively responsive to changes in the daily mean impedance. In many embodiments, the BL impedance is updated (520) at a much slower rate than the STA impedance. The BL impedance is updated (525) based on the STA impedance. That is, if the newly-calculated STA impedance is less than the BL impedance, the BL impedance is adjusted downward by a predetermined downdrift (e.g., 0.055 ohms), and if the newly-calculated STA impedance is greater than the BL impedance, the BL impedance is adjusted upward by a predetermined updrift (e.g., 0.18 ohms).

After updating the STA impedance and BL impedance (515), (520), the system can determine whether the impedance data indicates normal or abnormal fluid levels. This method is especially applicable when the STA impedance measures consistently and significantly below the BL impedance—a trend that could indicate abnormally high fluid levels. Accordingly, when a given STA impedance is either greater than the corresponding BL impedance or within a predetermined hysteresis (X) of the corresponding BL impedance, it can be inferred that this trend is not present and that fluid levels are normal.

With this in mind, after updating the STA impedance and the BL impedance (515), (520), the system can determine whether the newly-calculated STA impedance is greater than the newly-calculated BL impedance less the predetermined hysteresis value (X) (525). If it is, the system can reset a cumulative index of previous days' BL impedances minus corresponding STA impedances (530). Resetting the cumulative index indicates that the trend discussed above is not present. In some instances, a clinician can initiate the reset (full or soft) manually. In such embodiments, the manual reset can be performed via telemetry, via a pushbutton on the enclosure, or via other suitable means. After resetting the cumulative index (530), the system can wait to receive the next daily mean impedance (510), at which time the process can be repeated. If the newly-calculated STA impedance is not greater than the newly-calculated BL impedance less the predetermined hysteresis value (X), the system updates the cumulative index (535) by adding the difference between the newly-calculated BL impedance and the newly-calculated STA impedance to the cumulative index.

After updating the cumulative index (535), the system can determine whether the updated cumulative index indicates abnormally high fluid levels (540). In some embodiments, the system makes this determination by comparing the cumulative index to a predetermined threshold, which is established by a clinician according to factors that are discussed in more detail below. If the system determines that the cumulative index does not indicate abnormally high fluid levels, the system can wait to receive the next daily mean impedance (510), at which time the process can be repeated. Alternatively, if the system determines that the cumulative index does indicate abnormally high fluid levels, the system can notify the patient (545) (e.g., by an audible alarm, by vibration, by stimulation, by communication to an external device, etc.).

In addition, in some embodiments, the system can modify the algorithm for detecting changes in impedance in response to the detection of abnormally high fluid levels. For example, the interval at which the daily mean impedance is calculated could be increased (e.g., from once per day to once per hour). In such embodiments, the system first determines whether to modify the algorithm (550). If the system determines that it should not modify the algorithm, the system can move on to the next step. If the system determines that it should modify the algorithm, the system does so (555) and then moves on to the next step. In some embodiments, the system can initiate or modify therapy when an abnormally high fluid level is detected. In such embodiments, the system first determines whether to initiate or modify therapy (560). If the system determines that it should not initiate or modify therapy, the system can wait to receive the next daily mean impedance (510) (while the patient hopefully seeks professional care), at which time the process can be repeated. If, on the other hand, the system determines that it should initiate or modify therapy, the system does so (565). Examples of such therapy include activating a drug pump, a pacing mode, or a pacing rate, or performing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) or cardiac potentiation therapy (CPT). After initiating or modifying therapy, the system can wait to receive the next daily mean impedance (510) (while the patient hopefully seeks professional care), at which time the process can be repeated.

The order of steps provided in the methods shown in FIG. 5 is provided for purposes of illustration only, and other orders that achieve the functionality recited are within the scope of the present invention. Any of the functionality discussed anywhere in this disclosure may be implemented in the method shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 shows a plot 600 of exemplary impedance measurements taken pursuant to the method of FIG. 5. Referring to FIG. 6, the plot 600 has impedance (measured in ohms) as its Y-axis and time (measured in days) as its X-axis. Values represented on the plot 600 include daily mean impedance values 605, STA impedance values 610, BL impedance values 615, the cumulative index 620, and the predetermined threshold 625. As discussed above, each daily mean impedance value 605 impacts that day's STA impedance value 610 and BL impedance value 615, with the STA impedance values 610 being more responsive to changing daily mean impedance values 605. As also discussed above, the cumulative index 620 is impacted by the difference between the BL impedance values 615 and the STA impedance values 610. Specifically, that difference for a given day is added to that difference from previous days, unless that day's STA impedance value 610 is greater than that day's BL impedance value 615 less a predetermined hysteresis value, in which case the cumulative index 620 is reset. Once the cumulative index 620 reaches the predetermined threshold 625, the patient is notified, therapy is initiated or modified, and/or the algorithm is modified, as discussed above. As can be seen from the plot 600, the patient is notified on Day 630, Day 632, and Day 634.

In the system of plot 600, the predetermined hysteresis is set at zero ohms. As a result, a day's STA impedance value 610 must exceed the corresponding BL impedance value 615 to reset the cumulative index 620. This occurs on Day 636, Day 638, and Day 640, among others.

While systems that reset the cumulative index when a day's STA impedance value 610 exceeds the day's BL impedance value 615 are remarkably successful in detecting abnormal fluid accumulation levels, they can sometime result in an inordinately high number of false positives. When a patient is notified of a possible fluid build-up, he or she typically seeks professional care relatively quickly. A clinician then determines whether the patient does, in fact, have abnormal fluid accumulation. If the patient has abnormal fluid accumulation, he or she receives treatment to restore proper fluid levels (e.g., intravenous diuretics). If the patient does not have abnormal fluid accumulation (i.e., the fluid build-up notification was a false positive), he or she may leave the professional care facility without receiving any treatment. Such false positives consume valuable time and resources, both of the clinician and of the patient.

One approach to reduce the number of false positives is to increase the predetermined threshold 625. If the cumulative index 620 must reach a higher value before notifying the patient, there will likely be fewer of such notifications. For example, if the predetermined threshold 625 were set to 60 ohm-days rather than 55 ohm-days, neither Day 632 nor Day 634 would result in patient notifications. The downside of increasing the predetermined threshold 625 is decreased sensitivity. In other words, the system may fail to notify the patient when the patient is actually experiencing abnormally high fluid accumulation levels.

Yet another approach to reduce the number of false positives while retaining the desired sensitivity is to increase the predetermined hysteresis value to a value greater than zero ohms. In other words, in such systems, the cumulative index 620 is reset, not when the STA impedance value 610 exceeds the BL impedance value 615, but when the STA impedance value 610 comes within the hysteresis value of the BL impedance value 615. For example, the patient represented in plot 600 was notified falsely of abnormally high fluid levels three times (on Day 630, Day 632, and Day 634); he or she never had abnormally high fluid levels. Increasing the hysteresis value would have resulted in the cumulative index 620 being reset on days in which the STA impedance value 610 was close to as high as the BL impedance value 615 (e.g., on Day 642 or Day 644). In many instances, resetting the cumulative index 620 on such days would prevent the patient from unnecessarily seeking professional care, thereby saving time and resources. In plot 600, if the cumulative index 620 were reset on Day 642 and Day 644, the patient would not likely have been falsely notified on Day 630 or Day 632.

A clinician can determine the appropriate hysteresis value based on a variety of factors. For example, in some instances, the size of the implantable medical device that houses the system can impact the hysteresis value. This is because the implantable medical device acts as one of the poles of the impedance measurement (see FIG. 4). A larger implantable medical device often results in larger initial impedance values, and a smaller implantable medical device often results in smaller initial impedance values. Accordingly, a smaller hysteresis value should be used with a larger implantable medical device, and a larger hysteresis value should be used with a smaller implantable medical device. In other words, the hysteresis value can be a percentage of the initial impedance values. Likewise, in some instances, the nature of the patient can impact the hysteresis value. For some patients, the daily mean impedance values 605 vary widely from one day to the next, whereas for others, the daily mean impedance values 605 vary only minimally. A clinician can determine the patient's variability level by reviewing the patient's impedance values taken during the initialization phase. A larger hysteresis value should be used for patients whose daily mean impedance values 605 vary widely, and a smaller hysteresis value should be used for patients whose daily mean impedance values 605 vary only minimally.

The technique of adding a hysteresis value to an intra-thoracic fluid monitoring algorithm has been described and depicted in the context of intra-thoracic impedance measurement. This technique, however, could be applied to systems measuring many types of physiological variables (e.g., pressure).

Some of the techniques described herein may be embodied as a computer-readable medium comprising instructions for a programmable processor. The programmable processor may include one or more individual processors, which may act independently or in concert. A “computer-readable medium” includes but is not limited to any type of computer memory such as floppy disks, conventional hard disks, CR-ROMS, Flash ROMS, nonvolatile ROMS, RAM and a magnetic or optical storage medium. The medium may include instructions for causing a processor to perform any of the features described above.

Certain embodiments may have one or more of the following advantages. In some embodiments, the number of so-called “false positive” detection of pulmonary edema is decreased. In some embodiments, the sensitivity for notifying patients in “true positive” situations is retained. In some embodiments, the number of so called “false positives” can be decreased without adjusting the predetermined threshold. Some embodiments are adjustable for different kinds of implantable medical devices. Some embodiments are adjustable for different kinds of patients. Some embodiments are able to make use of intra-thoracic impedance data gathered during the system's initialization period.

Thus, embodiments of the present invention are disclosed. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be practiced with embodiments other than those disclosed. The disclosed embodiments are presented for purposes of illustration and not limitation, and the present invention is limited only by the claims that follow. 

1. A computer-readable medium programmed with instructions for performing a method of monitoring fluid levels, the medium comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to: take a series of intra-thoracic impedance measurements from a patient; modify a short-term impedance value based on the series of intra-thoracic impedance measurements; modify a baseline impedance value based on the series of intra-thoracic impedance measurements; add a difference of the baseline impedance value minus the short-term impedance value to a cumulative index when the short-term impedance value is less than the baseline impedance value minus a predetermined positive hysteresis value; reset the cumulative index when the short-term impedance value is greater than the baseline impedance value minus the hysteresis value; and notify the patient of possible fluid accumulation when the cumulative index exceeds a predetermined threshold value.
 2. A medium according to claim 1, further comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to calculate an average value of the series of intra-thoracic impedance measurements, wherein modifying the short-term impedance value and the baseline impedance value is based on the average value.
 3. A medium according to claim 1, wherein the medium is housed in a type of implantable medical device, and the hysteresis value is based on the type of implantable medical device.
 4. A medium according to claim 1, wherein the series of intra-thoracic impedance measurements from the patient include a degree of variation from day to day, and wherein the hysteresis value is based on the degree of variation.
 5. A medium according to claim 1, further comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to calculate an initial baseline impedance value.
 6. A medium according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined hysteresis value comprises a percentage of the initial baseline impedance value.
 7. A medium according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined threshold value is based on the initial baseline impedance value.
 8. A medium according to claim 1, further comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to perform a subsequent cycle of the method and to modify one or more steps in the subsequent cycle when the cumulative index exceeds the predetermined threshold value.
 9. A medium according to claim 1, further comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to initiate therapy to the patient or to modify therapy being provided to the patient when the cumulative index exceeds the predetermined threshold value.
 10. A medium according to claim 1, wherein notifying the patient of possible fluid accumulation is selected from the group consisting of (a) sounding an audible alarm, (b) vibrating, (c) causing stimulation, (d) communicating to an external medical device, and (e) combinations of two or more of (a)-(d).
 11. An implantable medical device, comprising: (a) a hermetically-sealed enclosure carrying an enclosure electrode; (b) a lead functionally coupled to the enclosure at its proximal end, the lead carrying a lead electrode at its distal end; and (c) circuitry housed within the enclosure, the circuitry being configured to: (i) take a series of intra-thoracic impedance measurements from a patient via the enclosure electrode and the lead electrode, (ii) modify a short-term impedance value and a baseline impedance value based on the series of intra-thoracic impedance measurements, (iii) add a difference of the baseline impedance value minus the short-term impedance value to a cumulative index when the short-term impedance value is less than the baseline impedance value minus a predetermined positive hysteresis value, (iv) reset the cumulative index when the short-term impedance value is greater than the baseline impedance value minus the hysteresis value, and (v) trigger a notification relating to possible fluid accumulation when the cumulative index exceeds a predetermined threshold value.
 12. An implantable medical device according to claim 11, wherein the enclosure has a characteristic size, and the predetermined positive hysteresis value is based on the characteristic size.
 13. An implantable medical device according to claim 11, wherein the series of intra-thoracic impedance measurements from the patient have a degree of variation from day to day, and wherein the hysteresis value is based on the degree of variation.
 14. An implantable medical device according to claim 14, wherein the circuitry calculates an initial baseline impedance value.
 15. An implantable medical device according to claim 14, wherein the hysteresis value comprises a percentage of the initial baseline impedance value.
 16. An implantable medical device according to claim 14, wherein the predetermined threshold value is based on the initial baseline impedance value.
 17. A computer-readable medium programmed with instructions for performing a method of monitoring fluid levels, the medium comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to: calculate an initial baseline impedance value; take a series of intra-thoracic impedance measurements from a patient; calculate an average value of the series of intra-thoracic impedance measurements; modify a short-term impedance value based on the average value; modify a baseline impedance value based on the average value; add a difference of the baseline impedance value minus the short-term impedance value to a cumulative index when the short-term impedance value is less than the baseline impedance value minus a predetermined positive hysteresis value, wherein the hysteresis value is a percentage of the initial baseline impedance value; reset the cumulative index when the short-term impedance value is greater than the baseline impedance value minus the hysteresis value; and generate a notification signal in the event that the cumulative index exceeds a predetermined threshold value, wherein the predetermined threshold value is based on the initial baseline impedance value.
 18. A medium according to claim 17, wherein the series of intra-thoracic impedance measurements from the patient have a degree of variation from day to day, and wherein the hysteresis value is based on the degree of variation.
 19. A medium according to claim 17, further comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to perform a subsequent cycle of the method and to modify one or more steps in the subsequent cycle when the cumulative index exceeds the predetermined threshold value.
 20. A medium according to claim 17, further comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to initiate therapy to the patient or to modify therapy being provided to the patient when the cumulative index exceeds the predetermined threshold value. 